


A Strange and Squamous Thing

by remi_wolf



Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Eldritch Lyfrassir Edda, Gun Violence, Jonny's got a temper, M/M, Violinspecter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:15:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22930069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remi_wolf/pseuds/remi_wolf
Summary: Never let it be said that the Mechanisms can't have class, nor manners. However, there is only so long that this can manage to continue before someone snaps and shuts one of the others up with a bullet to the head. Normally, this isn't a problem for them. Then again, normally they're not travelling with a nervous wreck of a Inspector Second Class, and normally everyone around them knows that they're immortal and death doesn't stick. Unfortunately, that particular fact slipped their collective minds because Nastya took the one remaining brain cell with them, and so they forgot to tell the Bifrost-touched Edda that they came back after dying.
Relationships: Marius von Raum/Lyfrassir Edda
Comments: 20
Kudos: 264
Collections: Beguilements and Distractions





	A Strange and Squamous Thing

**Author's Note:**

> I literally. Started writing this earlier today as a weird speculation thing for the discord. And then everyone gave me eyes emojis, so naturally I had to write it. Here it is! I could easily write another ten or twenty thousand words, but I don't really want to, so here, have just the fun part here!

The day started much as any other day did. 

The lights faded on in an attempt to mimic a proper day/night cycle, though nothing really could on a starship during an interstellar trip. 

Jonny’s voice blaring out over the comms system to inform them that it was yet another day on their trip, that he was still the captain, no matter what anyone tried to say, and that Ashes was kind enough to make breakfast for them.

And then there was Marius.

There were...hundreds of rooms, really. The Aurora was originally intended to service and house almost 200 Cyberian soldiers, at least from what Lyf had managed to read in the few logs and schematics they had begged off of Ivy when they had first gotten pulled into the ship. Why they had decided to stay in this one, the two-room suite with Marius was ridiculous. They should have found their own room now, if only to get away from that damn violin. 

Now, though...as Lyf curled up under the worn and sad blankets of the ship, listening to Marius play quietly in his own room, something softer and downright languid compared to his usual music, they couldn’t think of where else they could be. It wasn’t even pride, though a part of them thought that it might. No, it wasn’t the concern over being shamed for finally caving under the pressure of the near-constant violin music that kept them in the suite with Marius. It was, strangely, somehow the simple desire to be close to him and that damn violin. 

The violin music stopped, half-way through a phrase, and Lyf made a face--Marius couldn’t even be arsed to finish properly, let alone play it well--before they heard footsteps and their door opening. 

“Jonny just sent a message. If you want breakfast, we’re going to have to run, or else they’re going to run it through the recycler before we get there.”

Lyf sighed, closing their eyes before frowning. Their head was pounding, and their nightmares had been getting worse as well, and they honestly just wanted to stay put with Marius continuing to play that song in the other room, not that they would admit to that last one. They wouldn’t actively mention the other two, but they could at least blame it on that if he needed to.

“Do I have to?”

“You didn’t eat last night, Lyf.”

Oh, right. Marius had finally taken to calling them by their name, and Lyf still wasn’t used to the way his stomach dropped out at the reminder that almost everything they knew had been taken from them. At least, that had to be why they felt their heart lurch and flip at the words. And Marius was worrying his lip, too, with that little furrow between his eyebrows. Huh. Annoying. Clearly.

Lyf rolled over, pulling the blankets over their head. Better to ignore Marius entirely, rather than continue to get distracted by his face and the worrying possibilities of why they were looking forward to each day and the promise of more time with Marius where they read books and Marius did...whatever it was that he did. Composing, some times, writing others. Just depended on the day, really. 

“You need to get some food into your system, or else the Aurora’s going to try and force you to get something, or you’re just going to waste away.”

“I have a headache, von Raum. Just...please leave me alone.”

There was a soft hum, an unfamiliar sound before Lyf recognized it settle out into the song that Marius had been playing a few minutes previously. It was all the warning they received before the blankets were pulled from over their head, with Marius leaning close to them, flesh hand pressing against Lyf’s forehead. 

“You do feel a touch warm.”

“ _Von Raum._ ”

“I’m the doctor. Let me doct.”

“That’s not a word, von Raum.” Lyf couldn’t quite let themself sound too annoyed, especially as the hand did feel good, especially as Marius moved and cupped his cheek gently. “I’ll get up if that would make you feel better.”

“It would.”

Lyf’s head was pounding, and the lights, as dim as they were in his room, weren’t helping, but they slowly sat up. The headaches really were growing worse, and he almost wanted to ask Brian or, gods forbid, Raphaella to look at them, considering they were fairly sure they were the ones with actual medical training. 

“Just give me a moment.”

“Right. You’re fine. Entirely fine.”

That...wasn’t as reassuring as Lyf might have hoped, but it was enough for them at the moment, and he slowly stood up, leaning against Marius for only a slight bit of assistance as they settled onto their feet. At least they were upright, even if they rested heavily on Marius’ warm shoulder. 

“You going to do alright?”

Lyf nods, lingering against Marius before they started to walk towards the canteen that usually acted as a breakfast hall. Tucked against the edge of the Aurora, it had the most stable gravity, which was necessary when they were all nursing hangovers of one kind or another more often than not. 

“You really must not be feeling good. I can bring you some breakfast.”

“ _Marius_.”

The simple name came out more fond than it was supposed to, and the two of them stopped just outside the doors of the canteen. Lyf, realizing that they were actually remarkably fond of Marius and would hate to see anything happen to him. Marius, who knows the reason why he stopped and looked at Lyf in such a strange way. Lyf doubted it was the same reason.

They resumed, walking into the canteen, Lyf still leaning against Marius, and Marius helping to guide them towards the table with questionably-edible food. 

“Gods, get a fucking room.”

“Oh, good morning, _first mate_. I was wondering when we’d see your prickly exterior.”

The banter was normal. 

The day was, for the most part, normal.

Something, evidently, wasn’t normal for Jonny. Either forgetting that Lyf hadn’t properly been introduced to the immortal aspects of the Aurora crew, or simply unable to pretend to have manners in the face of Marius’ teasing, sneering correction to his title, Jonny pulled out his six gun and fired a shot cleanly. 

It was a moment, and then Marius crumpled next to Lyf, nearly bringing down the former Inspector Second Class down with him.

Something inside of Lyf snapped.

The headache resting behind his eyes exploded in a rainbow display of rage. After a moment, they realized that the sense of explosion hadn’t simply been his headache, but their entire form, expanding past what he could realize as they snarled at Jonny. They could feel a sick sense of pleasure as he saw the display of fear on Jonny’s face, the six gun immediately being unloaded in their direction. 

The power of the Bifrost--the power of Yog-Sothoth wouldn’t be harmed by that, and Lyf snarled, the sound deeper and more discordant than what should be produced, even by the tendrils of power snaking and filling the room as he stretched his form past the limits. They could hear the groaning of metal, the shriek of the Aurora as they pushed past through the canteen, gaping, starlit maw stretching to devour Jonny, to rip him apart for destroying the only good thing they had left. 

As they closed the distance, and as their maw sank towards Jonny in order to rip at his essence, a violin cut through the squall. 

The sound was soft, just enough to catch Lyf’s attention past the screaming of their form, and then they recognized the song as it began to play and sing over the din of existence. 

There weren’t words, but the tune was familiar, the languid melody from Marius’ room the past few days that Lyf tried to listen to without admitting that they were enjoying the violinist’s music. 

The shrieks began to fade, their form swaying and shrinking back into themself, the Aurora settling and returning to place, pulled back to standard reality as Lyf listened to the music. They turned, and there sat Marius. 

He still looked awful. Pale as a corpse, bullethole between his eyes slowly knitting, but more importantly was the look of absolute terror as Lyfrassir stalked over to him, energy burning prints in the reality of the ship, but at least Marius still played. While the tone was shaky, far less bombastic than Lyf had ever heard from him, it also sounded far more honest compared to what he usually heard from him.

Slowly, Lyf felt themself fold back into their small, human form, until he was reaching out to run a touch against Marius’ cheek. Their hand shimmered with a thousand impossible colors, but after a moment, after Lyf felt the last of the headache fold and tuck away into the back of his skull to spill out later, it returned to its usual color as he pressed close to him. 

“Welcome back.”

“Von Raum.”

Lyf’s voice still sounded like a chorus as the annoyance spilled through.

“I should have said.”

“ _Von Raum_.”

Lyf’s voice had returned to a solo piece, written as an ode to this violinist.

“I didn’t want you to think--”

“ _Marius_.”

Marius finally looked at Lyf, violin being set aside as Lyf closed the distance between them, pressing a kiss against his lips and settling into his lap. The blood could be cleaned off later. For now, they were going to let themself enjoy this, even if everyone else was still vaguely terrified as they looked at the two of them.


End file.
